Are you okay? Fighting mental health through sport.

#Football4All

We are all different. We are all great. We are all one. However, the world we live in doesn’t accept everyone, prejudice exists and people do not overcome their adversities.

Not so frequently asked questions…

Men are tough, providers and are problem solvers. Women are frail, weak and dependent. These are ideas from advertising and marketing that have been instilled in us from infants. Everyone’s watched Disney.

“Almost half, 45% Australians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime.”

“One in five, 20% Australians aged 16–85 experience a mental illness in any year.” (ABS, 2009)

For more information…

How to ask, are you okay? Visit

Sport is a way of expression, it’s an art and provides a platform for all people to strive for their best. The Paralympic Games is an international multi-sport event involving elite athletes with a range of disabilities. The Paralympics has grown from 400 athletes in 1960 to thousands by the 2012 Summer Olympics.

This shines a light on the fact that everyone can achieve their full potential, it doesn’t matter what you look like. This gives hope to people with disability, as they can also achieve big things.

The Australian Paralympic Federation is the national body that is responsible for it’s elite athletes with a disability. They also help with local, community and government bodies to support children with a disability.

For more information on mission and goals visit…

St George Football Association, special needs program the St George Warriors.

#Football4All

This is a program established at my local boyhood football club, Carss Park FC is acknowledgement to passing former president Darryl Hancock in 2014.

To create a football program catering to children to adult years with development disabilities.

Sport comes with many benefits, not just physical but also mental benefits. It teaches someone to have respect, to accept all, work with all types of people and gain self confidence.

When you think of the word mental health, a lot of negative topics arise of tragic events. Mental health shouldn’t be an issue, it should be a topic of education. If people understand more, they are more aware and are able to take upon positive decisions for themselves and others.

These two initiatives, global and local, are just a mere few examples of how the world is in response to social change. They both raise awareness of mental health and how sport can provide a platform to change peoples lives.

Developing resilience, strength and versatility are all attributes in all of us. We just need to discover them for ourselves, and sport provides a major platform in doing so.

The idea of self identity and looking a certain way was highly prevalent in the National Basketball Association 1986. One athlete stands the history of time, and is a metaphor for how sport has changed today.

Dennis Rodman everyone.

-Physical activity has been shown to have a strong and positive influence on mental well being and some mental illnesses.

-Participation in regular physical activity can increase self-esteem and reduce stress and anxiety.

-Physical activity can help play a role in preventing mental health problems and improve the quality of life of those experiencing them. (Rosenbaum, S 2014)

A simple question. And in today’s age a very relevant one.

#Football4All #RUOK #Equality #Takeastand

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